Four adult hemoglobin types in one mulatto family

Abstract

The studied family showed the presence of four different types of hemoglobin. The family member who gave rise to this study (=propositus) presented Hb C and the hybrid Hb CG-phila. The propositus has three children, all of which have Hb AC; none of the family members showed any clinical symptoms. The investigation of the hemoglobin arose from the finding of target red cells in a blood test done during the pre-operatory examination for lower limb varicose vein stripping. The hybrid Hb CG-phila is due to two gene pairs, each of which with individual expression, determining the synthesis and the particular type subunits. The hybrid Hb CG-phila is formed by the combination velocity of the subunits alpha2G-philabeta2; therefore the proportion of the hybrid Hb CG-phila is lower than Hb G-phila and Hb C. The identification and molecular characterization of Hb G-phila showed the position alpha268 Asn->Lys beta2 and Hb C showed alpha2beta26 Glu->Lys.